Sainsbury’s And Roald Dahl’s BFG Reunite To Help Bring Christmas To Everyone

Sainsbury’s is dialling up the festive phizz-whizzing magic once again with the launch of its new feel-good Christmas advert, welcoming back the beloved BFG for the third year running. As Christmas approaches, the ad finds the BFG in need of a helping hand while he feels under the weather. Determined that her giant friend doesn’t miss out on Christmas and a proper festive feast, spirited Sainsbury’s colleague Annie returns to lead a daring, high-speed delivery attempt into the otherworldly Giant Country, dodging oversized Squizzly Scotch-Hoppers and outwitting a tummy-rumbling Greedy Giant along the way.

The ad’s opening scene, set in the BFG’s whimsical cave, sees the much-loved giant struck down with a cold, while grumbling "Hey Sainsbury's, I feel quacky as a duckhound. Think I'll miss Christmas this year." Refusing to let her friend celebrate alone, Annie launches into action, loading up a Sainsbury's delivery van with crates of delicious Taste the Difference festive food before hitting the road with her sidekick Fred in tow.

Navigating into the vast Giant Country quickly becomes an adventure in a mysterious land when their path is blocked by returning character, the Greedy Giant. With his mouth wide open, posing as a bogus tunnel ready to swallow the feast whole, the crafty giant sends Annie, Fred and the van swerving to avoid his teeth, careering into a wild patch of snozzcumbers only to leave them dangling precariously over the edge of a rocky cliff.

Just as they manage to hit solid ground again and get back on track, an impossibly big Squizzly Scotch-Hopper curiously looms over the windscreen, prompting Annie’s attempt to entice it with a tasty assortment of cheeses. But no sooner is the Squizzly Scotch-Hopper distracted, before chaos strikes again. Spotting the stalled van, the mischievous Greedy Giant bellows "I’m back for seconds!" as he thunders down the road after them.

Hotly pursued by the 48-foot food thief, Annie channels her inner hero, unleashing a full-scale avalanche of Brussels sprouts onto the road from the back of the van. The charging giant steps right onto the rolling green vegetables, losing his footing completely before landing with a heavy thud flat on his back, allowing Annie and Fred to make a swift getaway.

The chaos gives way to pure festive warmth as Annie pulls up to the BFG’s decorated cave, arms laden with crates of festive Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference products to share with her special friend. The BFG peers down misty-eyed, "Annie? You came all this way just for me?" With a gentle smile, Annie reminds him, "nobody should miss Christmas."

The ad reaches a heartwarming final scene as the trio gather for an unmissable festive feast in the BFG’s home. Together, they tuck into a 'gloriumptious’ spread complete with a Taste the Difference Slow Cooked Turkey Crown with Bacon and Stuffing, Discovery Brussels Sprout and Cavolo Nero Gratin. The advert concludes with Sainsbury’s promise: “For everything that makes Christmas unmissable. Sainsbury’s, good food for all of us.”

Radha Davies, Sainsbury's Marketing Director, said: “The BFG has become a much-loved part of Christmas for our customers, so we wanted to bring him back for another adventure this year. At the heart of the story is a simple idea: nobody should miss out on Christmas. Whether that's Annie making sure her friend gets the festive feast he deserves, or the moments families create around the table, it's those acts of care and generosity that make Christmas special.

Our Taste the Difference range plays a starring role throughout the advert because great food is often what brings people together. We hope this year's campaign delivers plenty of festive fun while celebrating the moments, people and food that make Christmas truly unmissable.”

Alice O’Brien, Head of Global Commercial Partnerships at Roald Dahl Story Company, said: “After two Christmases of giant adventures and unexpected guests, we’re delighted to bring the BFG back for a third year.

He holds a special place in the hearts of audiences across generations and his kindness, whimsy and curiosity around food mean he continues to be the perfect fit for Sainsbury’s festive storytelling.

In this new festive chapter, we venture into the craggy, mountainous Giant Country, expanding the BFG’s world and bringing a new sense of adventure to a story rooted in friendship and generosity.”

This year’s advert was created by Sainsbury’s advertising agency New Commercial Arts, with production led by Rogue Films and visual effects through studio Electric Theatre Collective. The 120” ad premieres on TV for the first time on Sunday 1st November 2026 at 18:26pm. The 120” advert will also be supported by a series of 90”, 60”, 40” and 20” films across TV, social and online.

Ian Heartfield, Founder & CCO at New Commercial Arts, said: “The BFG’s back, but this time we’re going to his world. It’s the ultimate Sainsbury’s home delivery - taking a delicious Christmas feast deep into the heart of Giant Country, while defeating the Greedy Giant, navigating a Snozzcumber Grove, and out manoeuvring a giant Squizzly Scotch-hopper.”

Building on decades of partnership, this year Sainsbury's launched a bold new ambition to raise £30 million for Comic Relief by 2030, doubling its impact and helping to deliver a total of 120 million meals to children and families across the UK since 2022. This year, their mission is to raise enough to fund 12 million meals, supporting organisations up and down the UK who are helping children and families access good food through food clubs, after-school dinners, meals during the school holidays, and more. A special version of this year's advert will spotlight this important work.

Credits

Brand: Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s Marketing Director: Radha Davies

Head of Brand Comms: Emma Bisley

Brand Comms Manager: Alice Booth

Brand Comms Manager: Alice Taylor

Brand Comms Executive: Jess McFaul

Head of Digital Marketing: Carla Parry

Digital Marketing Lead: Yasemin Yelbasi

Digital Marketing Manager: Heather Clarke

Agency: NCA

Creative

Founder, CCO: Ian Heartfield

Creative Directors: Dan Bailey & Brad Woolf

Social Creatives: Rose Power & Niamh McBride

Account Management

CEO, Ogilvy UK Group: James Murphy

Managing Partner: James Wilkinson

Business Director: Chloe Hogan

Account Director: Tobias Moynan

Senior Account Manager: Victoria Thompson

Account Manager: Alfie Rice

Planning

Founder, Strategy: David Golding

CSO, New Commercial Arts: Matt Walters

Strategy Partner: Kim Walker

Senior Strategist: Cara van Rhyn

Production

Head of Production / Producer: Georgia Dickinson

Producer: Olive Andrews

Print Production Lead: Cara Swindell

Project Director: Sarah Brown

Design & Artwork: King Henry Studios

Head of Design: Danny Tomkins

Senior Designer Jasmin Price

Retouchers: Mark Henry, Gemma Lawton

Artworker: Bradley Baker

Joint Head of Ops at KH: Cameron Henry

Animator: Bradley Barker

Motion Producer: Cassia Henry

Social Cut Down Creative: NCA

Social Content Editor: Tom Lockwood

Social Producer: Olive Andrews

Born Licensing

CEO: David Born

Director of Licensing: Amber Cheung

Licensing Executive: Alberto Massaro

RDSC

Head of Global Commercial Partnerships: Alice O'Brien

Global Commercial Partnerships Manager: Jacob Dunn

Head of Franchise: Lucy Appleby

Director, Business and Legal Affairs: Josephine Curry

Director, Title Planning & IP Marketing: Chris Aylott

Director, Publishing: Harriet Murphy

Head of Comms: Leigh Holmwood

Production

Production Co: Rogue Films

Director: Sam Brown

Producer: Polly Ruskin

Production Manager: Fran Resteghini

Exec Producer: Kate Taylor

DoP: Franz Lustig

Production Designer: Drogo Michie

Casting: Hammond Cox

Editing

Editing Company: TenThree

Editor: Eve Ashwell

Producer: Ed Hoadley

Post Production

Post Production: Electric Theatre Collective

Colourist: Luke Morrison

VFX Supervisor: Alex Snookes

On Set Supervisor: Michael Chapman

CG Lead: Will Medcalf

Creative Director: Michael Chapman

Animation Director: Fabrice Fiteni

Compositing: Taran Spear, Christian Block, Baptiste Audouin, Scott Middleton, Milo Marshall, Julie Cruette

DMP: Irene Navarro

Lighting: Jordan Dunstall, Baptiste Gueusquin, Flavia Minnone

Animation: George Rigby, Daria Zadecka, Gererd Murphy,

FX: Dan Yargici, Alberto Scotti, Harry Wilkinson, Platon Filimonov

CG assets: Fiona Taylor, Mia Laplanche, Toby Elbourne-Cload

Groom: Mara Pawlowska

Rigging: Nikolai Maderthoner

Executive Producer: Holly Treacy

Audio

Music Production: Manderley Music

Composer: Chris White

Producer: Sean Craigie-Atherton

Audio Post Production: King Lear Sound

Sound Designer: Jack Sedgwick

Audio Producer: Nat Curran / Matthew Steven